SHOULD
A CHRISTIAN PARTICIPATE IN MARTIAL ARTS

By
Dr. Dennis E. McCain, Sr., 7th Degree Black Belt

Questions whether Christians should participate in martial arts
need addressing. Should Bible believers learn to fight or to defend
themselves? Will this possibly instill a wrong attitude in life? The answers
are not simple ones; but I believe that answers can be found in the Bible to
reconcile this seeming dilemma. I trust that this article will set some things
straight in the Christian community regarding martial arts, and provide a sense
of direction as you make important decisions for your family. Each believer
must define his/her life's decisions based upon truth from Scripture. Each
person must chose what is the will of God for their own life and the lives of
those in their family. The martial arts are not for everyone. Time constraints,
personality issues, physical status, focus on ministry and many other concerns,
may outweigh the decision to chose martial arts as a form of exercise or method
of training. Each of us must make choices for life, based on the Lord's
leadership. The Lord never acts out of harmony with His Word, His character or
His attributes.
God is God. His character and qualities never change, because He is the
unchanging God.

The following reasons lead me to believe
that studying martial arts is not unbiblical:

**The Lord is the LORD of HOSTS

He is the Warrior God who leads and
directs His people into battle. "Then said David to the Philistine, Thou
comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to
thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom
thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will
smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the
host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild
beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear:
for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands." I Samuel
17:45-47

**Mighty
men of the Old Testament were warriors and honored God with their expertise in
fighting. Furthermore, they did the will of the Lord in destroying the enemies
of God, defending their homeland and their families (Genesis 14:9-24).

**The mighty men of David assassinated the
enemies of the king and were held in high esteem. - I Kings 2:22-25

**The Lord had men from each of the tribes
of Israel selected as men who would go to war or individually fight. Numbers
1:19-44

**The time of the Judges produced
God-called men to fight and rescue Israel from the oppressors in the land. -
Samson, Gideon, Ehud. etc.

**Some prophets of God slew those who
opposed the God of Israel. - Elijah after Mount Carmel in I Kings 18:1-40.

The following reasons
seem to teach that fighting is wrong:

**Jesus told Peter to put away his sword
and then healed the servant of the high priest, in the garden. Matthew 18

**Jesus taught a higher law, telling his
followers to turn the other cheek.

"And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the
other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give
to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them
not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them
likewise. Luke 6:29-31

**Jesus taught love and compassion, rather
than fighting.

“For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for
sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good
to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to
them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to
sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and
lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be
the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the
evil.” Luke 6:32-35

**It seems that the general tenor of the
New Testament is different than the way things were done in the Old Testament.

**We may not demonstrate faith in God's
protection if we fight. The Lord is our Defender and Shield.

Answers And Thoughts On
The Questions

**As a pastor I have thought seriously
about these questions. I want to be in the will of God, follow the teachings of
Christ, and never do anything that would hinder someone from coming to Jesus as
Savior. I have met martial artists whose attitudes did not exemplify these
qualities. Their demeanor was mean, aggressive, obtuse, and fleshly. It is
impossible not to convey this attitude to any students they teach.

Theologically, the primary concern should
not be the activity of the martial art itself, but the spiritual condition of
the teacher and the student. Without Christ being the center of our activity,
the activity becomes a waste of time. The bottom line is that the believer must
honor Christ in every area of life. Golf, tennis, NFL and NBA games on
television can also be a big problem in our lives, unless we choose to honor
Christ in honestly evaluating our priorities in each activity in which we are
involved.

**Truly, the heroes of the Old Testament
lived in a different dispensation (time period) and, therefore, acted
in obedience to God's commands. Their actions often reflected the culture
of their time. However, they were still at the command of God. David was a man
after God's own heart, yet he fought bravely and protected his life and, also,
the lives of the people of Israel and his own family. Many of these warriors of
old acted, not on impulse, but by direct order of God. This may be difficult for
us to understand, but it is none-the-less true.

**It appears that this warrior attitude is
not to be carried over into the New Testament age of grace. How may I justify
learning to fight with living in the age of grace? That is a good question. We
are to be servants, turn the other cheek, and live at a higher standard in this
age. Does the Lord want us to protect ourselves? Does He want us to protect our
family or fight for our nation? I believe the answer to these questions is quite
obvious! What would you do if you and your family were attacked? Would you
defend yourself or family? Again, the answer is obviously, yes.

I do not want to fight! I do not desire to
fight! I repeat this because I hope this statement sinks deep into your mind and
heart. I do not want to fight! Even though my attitude is not to be a "striker"
or quarrelsome person, there may be a time to fight. I hope that I never have a
spirit of anger that controls my life, or that I would demonstrate a tendency to
fight, but I know how to fight.

**In the Garden of Gethsemene Jesus prayed
to do the Father's will, as He approached the Cross of Calvary. Peter wanted to
protect Christ, his Messiah and friend. Jesus rebuked Peter and healed the
servant of the high priest. Why? Was Peter to stand idle and let it all happen?
The answer here is, yes! It was decreed for Jesus to die. No government, army or
person could change the destiny of the Son of God. It would be wrong to fight,
if the reason for fighting was out of the will of the Father. That Peter took
up arms was a demonstration that he did not fully comprehend God’s will in that
specific situation.

**Jesus taught His followers to "turn the
other cheek." When you study this passage, you will find that the context
explains what Jesus meant. When we are persecuted for His sake and reviled for
righteousness, we are to love and not fight. This principle is clearly taught
and should never be questioned. An example of this happened to me in New England
in 1982 and I chose not to fight. I was preaching on the street and was
punched in the face and knocked down. I stood up and preached again. The man
said, “I will knock you down again.” I said that I would get up and preach
again. Another man, watching the events unfold, told the man to back off, and
“leave the priest alone.” The situation did not warrant a fight, as it would
not have been biblical.

However, the context of this passage does
not teach us to turn the other cheek at all times such as being attacked on the
street or in our home. The context clearly indicates that while preaching or
being tested in our faith, or being treated maliciously by the world, we are to
suffer persecution without fighting. Again, the spiritual attitude of the
believer is to win the lost to Christ and honor the Father. If I were walking
down the street with my wife and grandchildren, and someone chose to attempt a
robbery and injure my family, this would be a random act of violence, not an
attack on me as a Christian.

Again, I do not want to fight! I am to
have compassion for everyone. I am to go preach the Gospel to everyone. I am to
love the lost, and I do not want to fight! I just want to live a godly life,
honoring Christ. The Lord does protect His children, but He also wants us to be
wise and responsible. I also believe that meekness is one the greatest qualities
of a man. Meekness is power under spiritual control. To experience of the
meekness of Christ, yet enjoy His power in our lives, is a powerful combination.

**Over the past 29 years, we have been
privileged to see well over 100 people come to know the Lord while attending Taekwondo
classes. Taekwondo is just a tool to be used to honor Christ. Why not use all
the tools available and then proclaim the only truth that will provide eternal
life. (Postscript: I chose Tae Kwon Do as a
martial art to study because it is a military art. Its origin is not in temple
worship, is not based upon ancestor worship).

KIYUP: The question has also been asked
regarding the sound of the "Kiyup" during or at the end of the patterns. What
does it mean? Is there some mystical meaning to this type of breathing? One
Christian master martial artist said, "Deep breathing and shouting (forcing
air out of the lungs using the diaphragm) is common in many sports to derive
extra power. When weight lifters raise heavy weights, they often take a deep
breath then shout or yell when lifting. Martial artists do the same, first to
derive extra power but also to startle an opponent. Shouting is not mystical,
but natural."

Dr. Charles Owens makes the following
statement regarding the Kiyup: “'Ki-hap' is the expressive side of "Hap-Ki" (as
in "hapkido"). Dr. Owens is the founder KiDoKyo Mu Kwan, and a 10th Degree Black
Belt. See resume
http://www.kidokyo.org/owens.html

Hap = "together" Ki = "spirit/energy" Hap-Ki
= "meeting of the spirit" Ki-Hap - "the spirit of the meeting" The Japanese
terminology is "ai-ki" (as in "aikido") and ki-ai." Hap-Ki (Ai-Ki) is the
passive side. Ki-Hap (Ki-Ai) is the expressive side. The shout of the martial
artist is seen in history as far back as the arts go. On the theological side,
I read an interesting article once regarding the "shout of God" in Psalm 46:6.
This article was written by a creationist apologist (with whose theology I
totally agree). He was writing about the occurrence of the flood and was
theorizing regarding the breakup of the firmament. He referred to Ps. 46:6 and
believes that sound waves were used by God to split the earth's surface (a scar
on the earth's surface seen as the gigantic sub-oceanic mountain range in the
Atlantic) thus shooting hot gases upward to blow holes in the firmament above,
causing it to break up and collapse. Even God could use sound to express His
Spirit! Hope this information is helpful to you in your research. Blessings,
Charles Owens"

The loud sound also pushes extra oxygen
into the body and provides additional energy. This principle of physiology has
nothing to do with any mystical expressions, strange philosophy or demons. The
sound expressed in this thoracic grunt (Kiyup) causes the student to tighten
their stomach muscles, focus at a fixed point, and allows the body to work at
its maximum level. For the Christian, please understand the sound as only an
anatomical and physiological means of achieving a higher level of oxygen in the
blood.